Matchmaker III
by Hikari of the Moon
Summary: Xaldin was Axel's mentor when he was new, and now, he's trying to make sure his old pupil gets his true love! Even if they are Nobodies. And even if he has to work with Demyx... [Akuroku]


Ahhh, another Kingdom Hearts fanfiction from your dear friend, Hikari of the Moon! ((people wonder who the heck that is)) And this one's actually over a thousand words! Hee hee! Well, I've always felt I owed it to myself to write my OTP. And akuroku is it! Plus, one of my real-life best friends's nickname used to be Xaldin (before we changed it to Yuffie), and I owe her an apology. Probably for repeatedly trying to set her up with my brother. ((laugh)) So, even though she'll never read it, I wrote this for her! And this time, she's the matchmaker!

**Warnings: Shounen-ai!** Which, in the world of fanfiction at least, means **boys-liking-boys**. So, if that squicks you out, you can always hit that back button. There's also a somewhat ditzy Demyx. But should I really have to warn about that? Most of us like that!

**Rating: **K-plus for the simple fact that there is shounen-ai and kissing.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Kingdom Hearts...well, I wouldn't have a computer that randomly shuts down on me! So, I don't.

* * *

Xaldin sat on his throne-like chair in the meeting room, patiently waiting for Xemnas to end the meeting. He gazed around the current ranks of the Organization. The Superior, Freeshooter, Luna Diviner, Flurry of Dancing Flames, Melodious Nocturne, Gambler of Fate, Key of Destiny, and himself, Whirlwind Lancer. 'Maybe we should take the name Organization VIII again.' He thought halfheartedly. Not that he actually had a heart to think with half of, but it's an expression they used anyway. 

"You are all dismissed. Except for number III, who I would like to speak with privately."

Xaldin blinked himself out of his thoughts and nodded to The Superior. Everyone else teleported themselves out of their chairs to the ground and started to walk out of the room. Xaldin waited until everyone had left before he said, "What is it you want to say, Superior?"

"You were not paying attention. What is on your mind?"

Xaldin sighed. "I was thinking about the losses of the Oblivion project."

"Yes. Vexen, Lexeaus, and Zexion were loyal and will be sorely missed. However, we must stay strong...even if number XIII wishes to leave us."

Xaldin sat up straighter in his chair. His eyes widened in shock. "Roxas wants to leave?"

The Superior sighed in a rare display of emotion toward something besides Kingdom Hearts. "Yes. He is against our silence about the Keyblade and his other and I believe there is nothing holding him here besides our common link."

Xaldin knew the link he referred to was that they were all incomplete people who wished to be whole. "There must be something."

"There isn't."

"Well then, if that is all."

"It is." Xemnas created a portal and teleported himself elsewhere. Xaldin got down from his chair and walked out of the meeting hall. Just in time to see Roxas slam Axel into a wall with both his Keyblades and to hear him snarl, "LEAVE ME _ALONE_!" and storm down the hall shortly after.

Axel stayed pressed against the wall as if the Keyblades still held him there. His face was flushed, with what, Xaldin didn't know, and he stared up blankly at the ceiling. "Axel?"

It took Axel a full ten seconds to react at all. And when he did, he just turned his head slightly in his direction. His voice, when he spoke, was quiet and meek. Two things Xaldin never thought he'd hear coming from Axel. "He hates me."

"Roxas could not hate you, Axel," Xaldin said back. He took a few steps toward him.

"But he does." Xaldin stopped in his tracks as he saw the glimmering tear roll down Axel's cheek. "He hates me. Because I told him I care. As...more than just a friend." More tears joined the first on his cloak.

"Axel..." Xaldin closed the distance between them and put a hand on his pupil's shoulder. Axel flinched. "He can not hate you. It's not possible for him."

"Oh, it is. I'll be in my room if Roxas wants to yell at me some more." Axel leaned forward and forced himself to walk the short distance that separated him from his newly-made portal.

Once the portal closed, Xaldin didn't need a moment to think before he had a plan of action. His own portal took him to Demyx's room. Where he found, as he expected, Demyx _and_ Roxas.

"Boys."

It only took that one word for Demyx to stop talking and spring off the bed to his feet. "Whirlwind Lancer, sir!" He saluted a little too hard. "Ow!"

"With your permission, number IX, I'd like to speak with you privately." After seeing Roxas's disgruntled look, he added to Demyx, "Should number XIII be worried about Axel, he has locked himself in his room and will not disturb him."

Demyx looked down at Roxas. "Sorry Roxas! Could you come back in a minute or two? Really sorry, I wasn't expecting him!"

Roxas was silent for a moment, but then nodded. "Fine." He stood up from the bed, walked to the door, and wrenched it open with much more force than necessary. He stepped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"...Sorry, sir! Roxas is sorta mad at Axel!" Demyx's face flushed. After a second, he gestured wildly at the bed. "Have a seat! If you want to; I mean, I'm not forcing you to sit. But you'd probably be more comfortable!"

Xaldin chuckled and stayed standing. "I'll only be here for a little while longer." Demyx nodded mutely. "I want you to tell me what Roxas says about Axel today and what he's already said. Report to me after he leaves for the night, or in the morning if he stays here tonight."

Demyx nodded frantically. "Yes sir! But...If I may ask..."

"You may."

"Why do you want to know what Roxas says?"

"Because. Axel is terribly depressed because of Roxas's outburst after today's meeting. I'd like to help him."

"OH!" Demyx's face turned redder. "Sorry sir! I should've known! I mean, you were his mentor and all. I mean, I still like hanging out with Xigbar, so I should've known Axel and you were still close!"

"Demyx," He said with a smirk while creating a portal, "You could subdue any enemy by talking to it. You'd drive most with a heart insane, I'm sure." He stepped through, hearing the splutterings of an insulted Demyx be cut off by his exit.

---

Early the next morning, before the sun would have risen if there was one on this world, Xaldin heard a knock on his door. He groaned and used his wind powers to sense the shape of the person outside his door. From his body shape, it looked like Demyx. "Come in," He said.

Moments later, his guess was confirmed as Demyx opened the door. "I'm sorry for coming so early, sir, but you said to come after Roxas leaves and he just left, and I thought I should come over, but I know it's really early..." Demyx continued to rant as Xaldin tuned him out and got out of bed. He walked into his attached bathroom and changed into a cloak.

When he walked out again, Demyx was still talking. "...I'm sorry if I woke you up, but I knew you wanted to know soon, so I'm here!"

Xaldin nodded. Had Demyx even noticed he'd left the room? He said back, "It is early, but I'm glad you came. What did he have to say?"

Demyx blinked twice, then said, "Oh! Right!", reached into a pocket and pulled out a few flashcards. "Hold on, have to find the right one, sir." He flipped through them slowly. "How to Fight the Keyblade Master...No, that's not it...How to Stop a Fire...Nope, still wrong...How to Fight with Music...No...How to Stop a Crazed Ya...Yao...Yoai...Oh, I can't even _read _that word!...Oh, found it!" With a flourish, he separated the card from his stack and put the rest back.

He smiled and started reading. "Roxas continually bad-mouthed Axel for about three hours. But after that, I asked him, like, what's wrong with Axel liking you, and if it was just because they were both guys. And he said something like, no, it's not 'cause of that, it's 'cause we're Nobodies, Demyx you moron. And Nobodies can't feel and stuff."

Xaldin blinked. "Give me a moment to decode your mentally-deficient prattle."

Demyx blinked back. "Okay. Give me a minute to figure out what you just said."

After a few moments, they both spoke.

"He still believes Nobodies really can't feel?"

"Did you just call me stupid?"

Xaldin nodded, half to himself and half to answer the younger. "I believe I have some repair work to do."

-----

"Axel."

Xaldin heard a sob come from inside the bedroom. "G...Go away!"

He sighed. 'I swear, he's more emotional than a teenage girl,' he thought before he knocked on the door again. "I want you to come with me, Axel."

"I don't wanna!" Another sob.

"It's a mission. From a higher ranking member."

All missions from higher ranking members were not optional. He knew Axel knew that and waited for a moment. Then, Axel yelled through his door, "Give me a second to get dressed!"

He thumped and banged and it sounded like he had an entire battlefield in his room, but Axel eventually stumbled out, his hair a horrible case of bed-head and his eyes red from crying. Xaldin, staring at his ex-student's shaken appearance, placed a hand on his shoulder. "It'll work out in the end. Trust me."

Axel looked over at him and forced out a smile. "I trust you."

Xaldin summoned a portal and stepped into it, guiding Axel into it as well.

-----

"C'mon, Roxas! You've been locked in your room since you left mine, and that was, like, four hours ago!"

Roxas groaned from his place under his covers. "Demyx, most of the Organization isn't even awake yet."

"I am! And I wanted to show you something! COME ON!"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine! I'll come, Melody!" He got out of bed and opened the door for Demyx.

Demyx blinked. "Melody? What, am I not _good _enough to be called by my full title?"

Roxas smiled sarcastically. "Fine, _Melodious Nocturne_. Let's go."

"Sure thing _Key of Destiny!_"

While Demyx created a portal, Roxas asked, "Where are we going?"

Demyx giggled and grabbed his friend. Then, he jumped through his portal, dragging Roxas with him.

----

"Hell no."

Roxas, in anger, looked up at Demyx and repeated himself. "_Hell no!_"

Axel shook where he stood, across the courtyard with Xaldin. He looked over at his mentor. "...Why?"

Xaldin smiled sedately. "Because you need to fix this. Demyx and I will stay incase something goes wrong."

Axel nodded, still shaking, and stepped forward. "Roxas-"

Roxas turned to him and shouted, "Don't even start!"

He gulped and looked back at Xaldin. "Okay, I tried, time to go!" He started to teleport back, but Xaldin grabbed his arm.

"Remember how I said this was an assignment from a higher-ranking member?" Axel nodded and Xaldin continued, "I _am_ a higher ranking member than you, and as such, I order you to stay here and fix things with Roxas!"

Demyx nodded and smiled, "Yup! And I want things to go back to normal too! I mean, come on! Since when have the great duo of Roxas and Axel ever been so mad they refuse to even _talk_ to each other? You guys always work it out!"

Roxas glared. "I am not speaking to _him_."

Axel sighed. "Then..." He sat down on the ground and looked at his hands. "Roxas, we can just forget what I said. Pretend it never happened."

"No!"

Xaldin looked over at Demyx, who had made the exclamation. He looked terribly angry and kept on yelling. "You two have to work it out! Axel said he likes you, Roxas, and you told me you've only got a problem with it since we're Nobodies, not 'cause you're both dudes!"

Axel looked up and, honestly, looked a little less hopeless. "That's why?"

Xaldin nodded and added, "Roxas, Nobodies can feel. Whether or not it's because our others could feel, we don't know, but you can feel. Axel _can_ care for you and you _can_ be mad at him."

Roxas blinked and held his hand over where his heart would be. "We...we can?"

"Weren't you just mad at Axel?"

He blinked again. "y-Yeah...I was."

"You rejected him because you thought he was lying to you."

Roxas nodded, trying to take in this change to his perception of normal.

Axel stood up and slowly walked to Roxas. "Roxas, I would never lie to you about something like this. I truly care for you, and if you'll let me...I'll be yours."

Roxas looked up at him, acceptance being the only emotion showing. "Give me some time to think this through."

Axel nodded. "Take all the time you need. Just don't take too long, 'kay?"

Roxas smiled and teleported away. Demyx blinked a few times and ran over to Xaldin. "Whirlwind Lancer, sir, did it work?"

Xaldin smirked and pretended to think. "Let's see, Roxas isn't mad at Axel, Axel's not sobbing his eyes out, and you're not yelling at anyone. I believe everything is as it should be."

Demyx nodded. "Good! Now, I'm off to try to win back my sitar from Luxord!" And with that, he teleported away as well.

Axel turned around and saluted. "Mission complete, sir!"

Xaldin laughed. He turned around and walked out of the courtyard, leaving Axel by himself.

-----

The next morning, everyone came down for breakfast, save Roxas. Demyx was showing off his sitar to anyone who would listen, while Luxord whispered to them that he'd let Demyx win. The boy had just looked so sad without that instrument. Xemnas was quietly chortling at a joke Axel had just told him; Axel was laughing also. Xaldin was listening to Xigbar lavish compliments on Saïx's cooking, while the blue-haired man nodded and took the compliments silently.

Xaldin looked up when he heard Axel's laughter stop abruptly. Roxas was standing at the top of the staircase, looking practically royal. He descended the stairs and raced over to Axel. He whispered something into his ear, and Xaldin guessed it was good from the way Axel's face lit up.

He knew he was right when Axel stood up and yelled, "I BELONG TO ROXAS!"

Roxas blushed and ducked his head. Axel lifted his chin up and kissed his new boyfriend thoroughly.

Xaldin turned away from the teenage love-fest and returned to his meal, ignoring the cheering and catcalls the new couple was getting.

He just had to wonder how long they would last.

* * *

Well, that's it, ladies and gentlemen! If you liked it, leave a review! You know you like it when people review your stories; why not make other people that happy? 


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